Trucks and trailers, both large and small, are used to transport cargo from one location to another. Such cargo varies from relatively heavy items to relatively light items, including particulate material. While it is occasionally desirable to provide some mechanism for restraining the movement of heavy items during transportation, it is often absolutely necessary to provide some mechanism for restraining the movement of light items, particularly items light enough to be dislodged from the truck or trailer during transportation. In the past, cargo frequently has been restrained by wrapping a rope back and forth across the cargo. In cases of relatively light cargo, such as sand or other light particulate material, an impervious sheet, such as a canvas sheet, is frequently first laid atop the load. The sheet and the cargo are held down by wrapping a rope back and forth across the load. Because this procedure is time consuming, it is undesirable. More recently, nets formed of inelastic synthetic materials, e.g., nylon, have become available for use in restraining cargo in the bed of a pickup truck. Because such webs are inelastic, they severely restrict the amount of cargo that can be carried. The present invention is directed to providing a web that overcomes this disadvantage.
More recently, a net designed to overlie a load held in a basket mounted atop the bars of an automobile roof rack has become available. The net appears to have a standard cross-hatched configuration and is formed of a high strength stretch cord with attachment hooks located at predetermined points along the periphery of the net. While such a net is useful with variable size cargo, it has a number of disadvantages. Because of the structural shape of the net, tension is limited to the area of the net that is stretched by the cargo. Because stretch force does not pull from a central location, it does not pull across the entire net. Further, the positioning of the net hold down hooks is limited to specific locations. Equally important, the net does not retain a taut shape when not covering a load. Also the configuration of the net is such that it has a tendency to tangle when stored. The present invention is directed to overcoming these and other disadvantages. In particular, the invention is directed to providing an elastic device that is ideally suited for use in restraining cargo in the bed of a truck or trailer.